Costco’s Example Can Boost Your Home Internet Business

Copyright © Robbie Fanucchi
http://www.RJFanucchi.com

We’ve all shopped at Costco. You ever notice how many free samples they give away? The other day I counted 8 free food sample stations set up throughout the store. I was truly amazed. A person could take a sample from each station and go home satisfied and full. Seeing all the freebies reinforced in my mind what a powerful marketing tactic giving away free stuff is. Just think how many of those samplers actually turned into a customer.

I know first hand that that in-store sampling pays off. I used to conduct product sampling in my accounts when I worked as a sales rep for a liquor distributor. Sales always increased, sometimes over 100 percent, and since I was paid commission, you can bet I scheduled as many in-store samplings as possible.

Now that I’ve become a Internet marketer, the same strategy pays off. Any expert in doing business online realizes the strength of using freebies to increase traffic. One reason this works is that Internet surfing is fast and furious. A visitor may click on your website, spend a few minutes and be off to the next site. So how do you make your website stay fresh in the visitor’s mind? Freebies.

However, with Internet marketing you can’t just give away a sample and hope to be rewarded. Costco’s demonstrations work because they sample impulse items; specifically food. The taste of food creates immediate impulse. As we revel in the delightful taste, our minds automatically start demanding we buy the product.

Most of us doing online business aren’t selling food. Rather, a lot of us are selling information, marketing systems and affiliate programs. These generally aren’t regarded as impulse items. Instead, a potential customer needs to be exposed to these systems repeatedly before becoming a consumer.

Therefore, some of the best freebies to give away are newsletters and mini-courses. Once the subscriber has a chance to evaluate the information you send them, you become an expert in their eyes. Viewing you as an expert builds their trust in you and makes them more likely to purchase your e-book, or become a member in your marketing programs.

An example of this is my website based on home business ideas and opportunities. Visitors can subscribe to a free newsletter with over 400 articles filled with Internet marketing tips. Getting a newsletter 2 to 3 times a week keeps my business alive in their minds.

Another example is the website I’m creating to sell my vegetarian e-cookbook. I want my visitors to be able to trust that the recipes are good. To do this, I’ll provide a newsletter on the benefits of a vegetarian diet and occasionally throw in a sample recipe. Once they see the benefits of a vegetarian diet and get to try a few of the recipes they will be more inclined to purchase the e-book. Again, the newsletter keeps my e-book fresh in their minds.

Just like Costco, giving away some sort of freebie on your website will definitely boost your traffic and sales. The easiest way to incorporate a newsletter or mini-course into your sales strategy is to use an autoresponder program. An autoresponder allows you to handle subscribers to your newsletter or course automatically. You don’t have to go through the hassle or time of manually responding to each request.